Kushinagar man killed for celebrating BJP win: family

Police said they are probing into the allegations made by Ali’s family, and added that they have also come to know that he had a dispute with his neigbours and distant relatives, who are accused in the case.

According to his family, Ali, who used to run a food stall, was thrashed and thrown from the terrace of his home at Katghari village on March 20.

“On March 20, he (Babbar Ali) was standing outside the house, when the four accused, armed with sticks and sharp-edged weapon, came and started hitting him. Babbar ran to the terrace where he was beaten by them. After he fell unconscious, they threw him from the terrace,” said Ali’s brother Chande Alam, who works in Mumbai and returned to the village after coming to know about the assault.

Ali’s wife Fatima Khatoon was present in the house when he was attacked.

Ali was taken to a local hospital from where he was referred to Gorakhpur. Later, the family brought him to a Lucknow hospital, where he died on March 25.

A day after the assault, Ali’s wife lodged a police complaint against four persons – neighbour Arif (25), his father Azimullah, Ali’s distant relative Tahid (27) and a woman Salma.

Arif and Tahid have been arrested.

“Raids are on to trace others. The accused are neighbours of Babbar Ali. With Ali’s death, the accused have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Ali had an old dispute with his neighbours. Other allegations made in the complaint are being probed,” said Circle Officer (Kushinagar) Sandeep Kumar Verma.

Alam said that his brother had received several threats for supporting the BJP. “My brother had complained about the threats to the police but they never took it seriously,” Alam said.

Station House Officer (Ramkola) Durgesh Kumar Singh, however, said that police had earlier taken preventive action and had booked both Babbar Ali and his neighbours for breach of peace.

On Sunday, when Ali’s body was brought to his home, residents, including his family staged a protest. They refused to conduct final rites, demanding the arrest of all the accused and financial help for his family.

Panchanand Pathak, the BJP MLA from Kushinagar, also reached the village. Protesters agreed to conduct the final rites after officials assured swift action in the case.